A Touch of Humor - Experts

What constitutes a real expert? How will we know one when we find one?

Old Erich Proverb - Answers

We are not required to have all the answers, just to trust the God who does.

A Voice from the Past - Hilary of Poitiers

For he is the best student who does not read his thoughts into the book, but lets it reveal its own; who draws from it its sense, and does not import his own into it, nor force upon its words a meaning which he had determined was the right one before he opened its pages.

Hilary of Poitiers, 300-368; On the Trinity, Book 1, 18, (translated by Rev. E. W. Watson and Rev. L. Pullan, The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol IX; Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, T & T Clark and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1997, p. 45)

How can we avoid reading in our meaning when interpreting Scripture? What steps should we take to guard against this?

The Way Forward

What aids spiritual growth? And what hinders it? I am beginning a series of posts that looks at that question. But one thing I need to look at from the beginning is whether growth in Christ is a process that can really be aided. For sometimes it is presented as a thing easily accomplished if we have the right method. That there is a secret formula to following God, and those who adopt it will achieve immediate success in their spiritual endeavors, and those who do not can expect complete failure. If such a quick fix exists, then any series of posts like the one I am contemplating is meaningless. You simply employ the right steps and you are there. But is this how it really works?

 The Bible pictures following Christ as a growth process (Ephesians 4:14-16; Colossians 2:19). As a race (Hebrews 12:1,2; Philippians 3:12-14). As a battle (Ephesians 6:10-13; 2 Timothy 2:3,4. As an exercise regimen (1 Timothy 4:7,8; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27). None of which sounds like it is describing a shortcut to spirituality. Now God has not left us to do all of this ourselves. God has given us the ability to live for Him (2 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 2:10). He is also at work in us to change us (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:29). But nowhere is this pictured as the possession of certain individuals who have discovered the right procedure for instant holiness, but of all believers. Now we are called to respond to that working (Galatians 5:16; Romans 12:1,2; Ephesians 5:18). But nowhere is this presented as an instantaneous solution. Nor is it clear what the right formula to accomplish this is.Further, it is my personal experience in my own life and in the lives of others who I have observed that such methods do not work. Rather, we need to experience the conjunction of two opposing truths. We are to have the humility to realize that we cannot change ourselves but need to trust in God and His power to transform us. But we are also to realize that we are in the midst of a struggle and cannot afford mere complacency or indifference. Now true humility does not cause us to hide in a corner but gives us confidence, knowing that God is at work in us. And godly determination does not lead to cockiness but recognizes that we could not accomplish anything without God's power.

When these things come together, it results in a process that covers the whole course of our lives. Therefore, we are encouraged not to regard ourselves as having obtained the spiritual life (Philippians 3:15,16, 1 John 1:8-10; Galatians 5:17), but to continue on in the path of following Christ. Through this we can avoid both the overconfidence and the discouragement that can trip us up in our spiritual life. And this makes relevant what things can help or hinder us on this journey. For the quick, easy answers will not work.

The Problem of Suffering

One of the oldest problems in the world is, why do people suffer, particularly those who have not done anything obvious to deserve it? It goes back to the Sumerians, the Babylonians, and the book of Job (whenever you date that book). It is the really emotionally gripping part of the problem of evil. It can reasonably be claimed that people do morally evil things because they choose to. But it is the suffering of their victims or the victims of natural disasters that is heart-wrenching.  The fact that this issue has been around so long shows it is a difficult question that cannot be easily resolved one way or the other to everyone's satisfaction. To increase the difficulty, it is not merely an intellectual problem but involves a fundamental emotional reaction to the world around us. That is why purely intellectual answers tend to feel so thin and inadequate when used in this context. Nor can we escape the this problem simply by becoming  atheists. For if suffering is just a normal part of life, why do we feel it is so abhorrent?. And there is also with that the question of how we face these issues when we encounter them in our life. I do not claim to have all the answers. But in future posts I want to deal with various too-easy answers in hopes of getting some sort of idea on how to look at this issue.

Can Theology and Politics Mix?

Can theology helps us make political decisions? Now there are those who want to claim that all their political decisions derive from their theology. Others claim the two are irrelevant and neither can affect the other. I would maintain the truth is somewhere in the middle. Based on  C. S. Lewis, I would make a distinction between two aspects that go unto making political choices. There are the basic moral principles that tell us how we should behave. These can and should be informed by theology. But there is also the purely practical aspect of what works. This is something based on experience and observation, and theology does not say much about it.

One of the problems that arises out of this is that it is easy to confuse the moral principle with the method. You can say, anyone who is for this principle must endorse this program. To make things more complicated, we find that politics can be broken up into into various agendas endorsed by different political parties. It is often difficult to disentangle a particular issue from these broader agendas. It is therefore possible to confuse the principle with the program and then feel forced to defend an entire political agenda because it advocates a particular program. And it is quite possible to end up advocating positions as necessary that you picked up as part of the larger package of the agenda.

For example, I am opposed in principle to our present societal stance of abortion on demand. I am then faced with what what political steps I should take based on this, which has quickly led me into the second area of practical politics. One of the obvious questions I have to ask is which political candidates and political parties I should support in order to further this issue. And I am also faced with the question of whether I can accept the other items on their agendas. Often it is easy to simply swallow a particular agenda in its entirety if it endorses some of the key issues I support. And for the Christian, it is sometimes possible to lift up the whole agenda as a moral requirement, when in fact there may be very few things on the list that are clearly required from a Christian perspective. Therefore, I am convinced that we need to evaluate each issue individually and to ask what, if anything, is required from a Christian perspective. So, in future posts I intend  to look at various important political issues and ask how the Christian faith impacts them. My hope is to look at what Christianity really does teach on these types of issues. And then to ask whether we should endorse any particular political agenda in its entirety. For I think we need to be careful not to end up affirming things we do not really wish to adopt in order to find someone to support us on other issues.

A Touch of Humor - Best Buy for the Buck

Do politicians really deserve the cynicism with which they are regarded? What can be done to change this?